Keys to the meeting between Biden and Netanyahu

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet at the White House on Thursdaywhere the American president will confirm the support of the United States for its main ally in the Middle East.

“The president will discuss his strong commitment to Israel’s securitythe very serious threats from Iran and Iranian terrorist groups and allies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” a senior White House official said in a briefing with reporters.

Asked whether he would discuss a ceasefire to increase humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, the official said there was a deal ready, but a response was sought from Hamas.

“Their agreement is ready to move forward in phase one. If we can reach an agreement and we need some things from Hamas, including the hostages that they are going to release, we are not going to reach an agreement until we know exactly which hostages are going to come out and on what timeline,” he said. “This is something that has to happen in phase one to phase two. It is written into the agreement, as I think the president actually put it in his speech in May, negotiations for phase two begin about a third of the way through phase one, and that is the negotiation that could continue.”

Israel expects the release of 33 people, after which the negotiations will enter phase two.

“We will discuss in depth the developments in Gaza and the negotiations on the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages, which we believe are in the final stages and are reaching the point where we believe it is possible to conclude an agreement,” he insisted.

Following the meeting between Biden and Netanyahu – who gave a speech in Congress on Wednesday – both will meet with American relatives of kidnapped people.

And humanitarian aid?

Recent reports of deaths in Gaza due to Israel’s escalation following the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, indicate that More than 39,000 Palestinians have dieda figure recognized by the United Nations.

The Biden administration did not discuss the numbers, but the senior official said they also Biden and Netanyahu to discuss humanitarian situation and ruled out the possibility of Israeli blockades.

“We don’t see the Israelis blocking supplies from entering Gaza,” he said. “We have some distribution issues that our people are working on all the time. It’s a very difficult war environment, so again… we’re putting in a huge effort on the humanitarian side and we can give you a full briefing on which we, my colleagues at the State Department, will be talking to you about quite frequently.”

Earlier, the White House spokeswoman confirmed the meeting between Biden and Netanyahu, in addition to a meeting between the latter and Vice President Kamala Harris, who as president of the Senate, did not attend the speech given by the Israeli prime minister in the unified Congress.

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